Astrologer Teri Parsley Starnes welcomes you to the Starsdance. I invite you to join me in contemplating the wonder of sky and Earth. Through following the Moon, the planets, and the wisdom of the seasons and signs, my goal is to offer a useful practice of mindfulness and intention for the thoughtful seeker. Shall we dance?

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Sunday, January 11, 2015

Follow the Moon: Forecast for January 11, 2015 – January 17

What is your essential nature? Have you ever given any thought to such
a question? If you are reading an astrology column, most likely you have. Astrology
is a good system for exploring the essence of who we are. My dictionary defines
essence as “the intrinsic nature or indispensible quality of something.” It
comes from the Latin verb “to be.” I am my essential nature. I am that I am.
This lunar cycle*—which finds its intrinsic nature in the qualities of
Capricorn—is well suited for digging deeper into exploring our essence. Capricorn
rules the bones; it governs foundations and systems. That feels like essence to
me. Capricorn is often linked to the symbol of a mountain. This cardinal earth
sign reveals who we are from the beginning of the climb and who we aspire to
become at the end. It isn’t always easy to see ourselves this clearly. Most
people I know have a few blind spots; I sure do. But during this Capricorn
season we have an opportunity to look a little deeper and bring illumination to
hidden places in our essential natures.

At the beginning of
this week (January 11), there are nine days left in the Capricorn lunar cycle.
The Moon is waning. As we let go of this cycle over the next few days, we are
reaching the essence of wisdom that this lunar cycle offers. We have a chance
to look at the essence of our hopes, fears, self-judgments, and strengths right
now. The first flush of the new year is beginning to subside. What if we bypass
the usual judgments about whether we are being successful with our resolutions
and look instead at the patterns behind those pledges? Within those patterns is
the essence of what we are aspiring to become, not only as individuals but
collectively too.

The mutable signs,
Pisces and Sagittarius, add to the exploration of essence and patterns and
become very important this year. Saturn recently entered Sagittarius and will
be close to squaring Neptune in Pisces for the first few months of the year.
The exact square will happen three times near the end of 2015 and twice more in
2016. The Saturn/Neptune cycle brings about adjustments in our ideals. These
two planets come together to start a new cycle every 35 to 36 years. The most
recent conjunction was in 1989. Now these planets are in a waning square aspect
to each other, just like the Sun and Moon in the Last Quarter phase of the
lunar cycle. We have the opportunity to evaluate how the natures of Pisces and
Sagittarius help and hinder us in our aspirations. Neptune and Pisces lend compassionate
idealism and also the possibility of delusion and fantasy. Saturn and
Sagittarius bring a focus on “the foreigner” and fundamental beliefs. We are
seeing once again in world events the clash between fundamentalism and
“othering” of people who are not like us. There is a stronger possibility of
mass hysteria under the influence of Neptune in Pisces square to Saturn in
Sagittarius. This is something to look out for as we are tempted to make snap
judgments about entire groups of people. Pisces influence increases this week
with Mars moving into that sign for six weeks. Mars is passion. Mars in Pisces
can be the heart-centered warrior. It can also be the desire to escape from
pain-filled reality. The key to staying present may be to find the path of
forgiveness for self and others.

Forecast for January 11, 2015 – January 17

Moon enters Libra 5:56 am CST
Sunday, January 11. The day is colored by
the Moon moving into justice-loving Libra and the Sun in Capricorn making a
paradoxical aspect with Jupiter in Leo. The Sun reminds us of the systems that
influence and govern us and Jupiter reminds us of the value of individual
expression and impact in the world. Some of us may feel that we are being
unjustly confined to systems we don’t agree with. Some of us might also be
involved in struggles fueled by ego. The way to change the system may be to
acknowledge our passion around injustice and to work to create a system that
affirms creativity and personal impact. We might have to make compromises to
fit it all in.

Moon in Libra
Monday, January 12. Mars enters Pisces
today. Be careful out there, our responses are shifting. We may not have the
same filters as we are used to having. In other words, we might be triggered
more easily and forget to shield against unwelcomed input from others. Mars is
passionate expression. For the next six weeks, while Mars is in Pisces our
passions will be influenced by idealism, compassion, with a dose of escapism
and fantasy. We hate to hurt someone else’s feelings when Mars is in this sign,
which could inhibit expression of will. With the Moon in Libra demanding
justice, equality, fairness, we may have a hard time standing up for ourselves
when we most need to. The Moon triggers the square between Uranus in Aries and
Pluto in Capricorn early this morning (CST). The day in the U.S. could start
with tensions, conflicts, and fuzzy boundaries.

Moon enters Scorpio 5:44 pm CST

January 13—Last
Quarter Moon: Evaluating. This Moon phase is an
important turning point in a lunar cycle. The reality of it is we are
evaluating the intentions we set at the beginning of this cycle (December 21).
Before the Moon moves into Scorpio, we are evaluating through the lens of a
Libra Moon to see what is out of balance. With the Sun in Capricorn, we could
be especially self-critical about our efforts. We can use the evaluating
perspective to see the patterns of our emotions and behavior. Time to let go of
what doesn’t serve you in the long climb up the mountain of life and to make
adjustments in what can be improved.

Venus is making a creative connection with Uranus. This aspect primes
us to truly enjoy diversity, our quirky friends, a fresh point of view.
Inspiration is coming from unusual sources. Be open. The changes we long for in
the world depend on these types of connections. Later in the day, the Moon
moves into Scorpio (fixed water sign) and makes a trine to Mars in Pisces
(mutable water sign). Suddenly, emotional intelligence is the best kind to
have.

Moon in Scorpio

Wednesday, January
14. The day begins with
all kinds of possibilities opening before us, but as the day goes on we
encounter more and more roadblocks. First, the inspiration: Mercury in Aquarius
is sextile to Uranus (co-ruler of Aquarius). This connection sparks curiosity,
inventiveness, and innovations. This detached, scientific approach could rub Scorpio
Moon the wrong way, leaving some of us with hurt feelings and frustration. We
really need to use both our rational, problem-solving side and our intuitive,
empathic side to best approach many different challenges today. The mood could
turn into repressed anger as Mars begins to form a square to Saturn (exact around
midnight CST). A couple of days ago, Mars entered Pisces and we noticed a new
shift in how we react. The opportunity with Mars in Pisces is to enhance
emotional connection with others. The frustration comes from Saturn showing us
the limits to wishful thinking. The obstacles we encounter could be valuable
information for making realistic choices that ultimately serve our ideals.

Moon in Scorpio

Thursday,
January 15. I won’t lie to you,
this could be a downer of a day. Mars in Pisces square Saturn in Sagittarius
starts the day with a sense that wishful thinking isn’t enough. This may be
good news for some of you realists out there. A good use of this energy is to go
back and clear up misunderstandings, refine some projects, possibly making them
smaller and more doable, and seek integration of hard work and lofty dreams.
The Moon in Scorpio squares Jupiter in Leo and this doesn’t much help. There’s
some conflict brewing around egos. We might feel overly criticized or
misunderstood. The Sun in Capricorn reminds us to honor our essences. Struggles
can be part of the learning.

Moon enters
Sagittarius 2:01 am CSTJanuary 16—Balsamic Moon: Surrendering. Capricorn (the sign of
this waning lunar cycle) is all about solid structures. We’ve had an
opportunity to notice and influence the structures in our lives during this
lunar cycle. Now we begin to truly let go of that to make room for the next
cycle that begins on January 20 in Aquarius. The transition between building a
structure and letting that structure go can be challenging. We have an
opportunity to observe our transitions today as the Moon moves into the mutable
fire sign (Sagittarius) joining Saturn there and squaring Mars and Neptune in
the mutable water sign (Pisces). The mutable signs are shapeshifters. They
aren’t much concerned with creating forms as they are with understanding and
adapting to them. Forms change. If you are willing to accept that, this last
phase of the Capricorn lunar cycle could feel profound and even welcomed.

The conflicts we may experience today are nuanced. Notice whether you
are leaning too far in the direction of wishful thinking or if your tendency is
to be really critical of yourself or others. Sometimes we throw up the shield
of judgment when we don’t know where we stand. Getting used to shifting ground
may be a good exercise to help you through the coming year of Saturn in
Sagittarius square to Neptune in Pisces. We need our wits about us to avoid
collective illusion but we also need courage to dare the vulnerability of
caring a lot about this world. If there is only one way to be, I know the one
I’d rather err on. How about you?

Moon in Sagittarius

Saturday, January
17. The fog of self-doubt
lifts today (I hope). The Moon in Sagittarius contacts Mercury, Venus, and
Jupiter in favorable ways. The signal is full steam ahead on the journey fueled
by idealism, discovery, changing the world, and having good old-fashioned fun.
These things can co-exist happily. Detoxify from some of the hard emotional
places you’ve been lately. Those experiences are valuable but they aren’t the
only truths we know. Soon, the next lunar cycle will begin in Aquarius. Notice
how important community, collaborators, and visions for the future are becoming.